TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT
GAZETTE

The following Act of
the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly received the assent of the
Governor on the 14th February 1997 and is hereby
published for general information.

Excerpts form ACT No.7 of 1997

An Act to prohibit ragging in educational institutions in the State
of Tamil Nadu.

Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Tamil Nadu
in the Forty eighth year of Republic India as follows:

Short title, extend commencement

This
Act may be called the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1997.

It extends to the whole of the state of Tamil Nadu.

It
shall be deemed to have come into force on the 19th day of
December 1996.

Definition

In this Act unless the context otherwise requires, "ragging" means
display of noisy, disorderly conduct doing any act which causes or
is likely to cause physical or psychological harm or raise
apprehension or fear or shame or embarrassment to a student in any
educational institution and includes.

a) teasing, abusing of playing practical jokes on, or causing hurt to such student or

b)
asking the students to do any act or perform something
which such student will not in the ordinary course
willingly do.

Prohibition of ragging

Ragging within or without any educational institution is prohibited.

Penalty of ragging

Whoever directly or indirectly commits, participates in, abets or
propagates "ragging" within or without any educational institution,
shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to
two years and shall also be liable to a fine which may extend to ten
thousand rupees.

Dismissal of Student

Any student convicted of an offence under section 4 shall be
dismissed from the educational institution and such student shall
not be admitted in any other educational institution.

Suspension of student

Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions, whenever any
student complains of ragging to the Head of an Educational
Institution, or to any other person responsible for the management
of the educational institution he / she shall inquire into the same
immediately and if found true shall suspend the student, who has
committed the offence, from the educational institution.

The decision of the Head of the Educational
lnstitution or the person responsible for the management of the
Educational Institution that any student has indulged in ragging
under sub-section (1) shall be final.

The helpline (1800-180-5522) will operate round-the-clock and
function as a watchdog. Once a student calls and registers a
complaint, the process of giving him assistance will start within 15
minutes.